Cleaning device for winding machines and the like



1.111.124, 1939. 1 G. B. MCCALLUM 2,144,768

CLEANING DEVICE FOR WINDING MACHINES AND THE LIKE Filed July 29, 1938 'INVENTOR 6502653 MGM 4 (/M BY ZTTO REZ Patented Jan. 24, 1939 UNITED STATES? CLEANING DEVICE FOR WINDING Y MACHINESANDTHE LIKE George B. McCallum, Northamptom Mass. Application July 29, 1938, Serial No.'-221,906

8 Claims.

My invention relates to a device for cleaning threads such for example as the silk threads used in the manufacture of hosiery.

The present invention is in the nature of an improvement on the cleaning device disclosed and claimed in my prior copending application Serial No. 213,648, filed June 14, 1938, and its general object is to increase the efiiciency of the cleaner shown in said application.

10 Other and further objects residing in the details of the structure and arrangement of the parts will be made apparent in the following specification and claims.

In the accompanying drawing which illustrates one embodiment of the invention,

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a device constructed according to my invention,

Fig. 2 is a sectional view substantially on line 2-2 of Fi 1,

looking in the direction of the arrows in Fig. 2, and

Fig. 4 is a sectional view showing an alternative form of arresting member.

Referring to the drawing, l0 designates a suit able frame member of the spooling machine to which the cleaning devices may be conveniently attached. A bracket I I is secured as by screw l2 to member ID. Bracket ll supports a conventional porcelain thread guide [4 by which the thread is guided to a slotted cleaning plate N3 of any conventional type. Slotted member l5, which may be made up of one or more pieces, serves to collect the lint and dust from the thread, this material collecting at the point 16. From the plate l5 the thread passes over a guide [1, preferably of porcelain, which is of a form to act as an arresting or restraining member for the lint, and thence to the spool diagrammatically shown at l8. As shown, the member I1 is provided with a thread receiving notch or channel generally indicated at 20, the adjacent top surfaces being grooved as at 2| to receive the ends of a spring clip 22 by which the member is held to frame member Ill. The bottom of member I! is formed with a rectangular groove as at 23 to engage and seat on a corner of frame member ID. Spring clip 22 is secured in any suitable manner, not shown, to the frame member ID.

As best shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the fioor 25 of the notch 20 is provided with an interruption which preferably is in the form of an elongated opening or recess 26 connecting with a circular opening 21 extending the rest of the way through the member 11. The end of a suction nozzle Fig. 3 is a detail view of the arresting member I 28 is fitted tightly in the opening 21 and sealed therein with silicate of soda or other suitable material. Nozzle 28 comprises a length of circular pipe and the nozzle end thereof is preferably restricted as at 30 to a diameter substantially equal to the transverse width of elongated opening 26. Nozzle 28 is connected to any suitable source of suction, conventionally indicated at 28.

In operation the thread, indicated at t passes across the opening 26 and over the orifice 30 of the suction nozzle, being spaced therefrom by a distance equal to the depth of the opening 26.

Accumulation of dust, lint and the like, travelling With the thread first encounter the uninterrupted floor of notch 20 and as described in my previous application above referred to is slowed down and in part loosened from the thread be fore passing to the opening 26. The accumulation as it passes to opening 26 and the influence of the suction nozzle is subjected to substantially all of the disintegrating forces described in my previous application. The vacuum, however, acts more eflic'iently'on the accumulations since the suction acts directly at right angles to the thread. Moreover, the spacing of the orifice 30 of the nozzle from the thread may be nicely fixed by the depth of the opening 26. In addition the forward end of the elongated opening 26, that is the end in the direction of thread travel, acts as a second and abrupt barrier to the advance of the disintegrating accumulation and increases the assurance that all the particles of dust and lint will be freed from the thread and drawn in by the suction nozzle. Furthermore it is possible that the portion of the thread bridging the opening .26 lengthwise may be drawn toward the suction nozzle and a vibratory action set up which aids in freeing the particles of the accumulation from the thread. In any event the structural arrangement above described has proved much more efiicient under various conditions than where the nozzle is placed at the exit of a smooth uninterrupted channel floor. The efficiency of the present construction is such that under favorable conditions the slotted plate I5 may be eliminated, the action on the thread at the opening 26 of the vacuum nozzle in com bination with the abrupt forward edge of the opening being such as to progressively clean lint and dust from the thread.

It will be'understood that various changes in detail may be made within the scope of my invention and the appended claims. For example, while I have shown the opening 26 in the form of an ellipse, other shapes of opening may be employed and the orifice of nozzle 28 may coincide with the opening 26, although I find a restricted opening such as shown at 30 to be preferable.

In Fig. 4 I have shown an alternative manner of interrupting the surface of the floor 25 of the notch 20. As shown in the latter figure the floor 25 is provided with spaced transverse ridges which serve to raise the thread from the intermediate portion of the floor and suction nozzle 28 open to the notch intermediate the ridges 35.

I claim:

1. A thread cleaning device which comprises a thread guiding member provided with a notch through which the thread passes, a suction nozzle set in the floor of the guide in the path of thread travel, and a source of suction connected to said nozzle.

2. A thread cleaning device which comprises a thread guiding member provided with a notch through which the thread passes, means formed on the floor of the notch interrupting the contact of the thread with the floor of the notch, a suction nozzle opening into the notch and acting onthe thread at the point where its contact with the notch is interrupted and a source of suction connected to said nozzle.

3. A thread cleaning device which comprises a thread guiding member provided with a notch through which the thread passes, the floor of the notch being formed with an opening across which the thread travels, a suction pipe connected to said opening, and a source of suction connected to said pipe.

4. A thread cleaning device which comprises a thread guiding member provided with a notch through which the thread passes, a suction nozzle countersunk in the floor of the notch in the path of thread travel, and a source of suction connected to said nozzle.

5. A thread cleaning device which comprises a thread guiding member provided with a notch through which the thread passes, the floor of the notch being formed with an elongated recess extending in the direction of the notch and over which the thread travels, a suction nozzle opening to the bottom of the recess, and a source of suction connected to said nozzle.

6. A thread cleaning device which comprises a thread guiding member provided with a notch through which the thread passes, the floor of the notch being formed with an elongated recess extending in the direction of the notch and over which the thread travels, said recess having abrupt edges, a suction nozzle opening to the bottom of the recess and a source of suction connected to said nozzle.

7. A thread cleaning device which comprises a thread guiding member provided with a notch through which the thread passes, the floor of the notch being formed with an elongated recess extending in the direction of the notch and over which the thread travels, said recess having abrupt edges, a suction nozzle opening to the bottom of the recess midway between the ends of the recess, and a source of suction connected to said nozzle.

8. A thread cleaning device which comprises a thread guiding member provided with a notch through which the thread passes, a suction nozzle formed in the member and having an opening continuous with the floor of the notch and in the path of thread travel, and a source of suction connected to said nozzle.

GEORGE E. MCCALLUM. 

